The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disassociated itself from a viral list circulating on social media, purportedly identifying fake, adulterated or substandard products in Nigeria.
The agency’s position was contained in a statement issued by its Resident Media Consultant, Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Thursday.
NAFDAC said the circulating list did not emanate from the agency and should not be regarded as an official regulatory alert, recall notice or safety communication.
The agency said it does not make sweeping declarations about the safety or authenticity of products without following appropriate regulatory processes, including investigation, sampling and, where necessary, scientific and laboratory verification.
It added that its regulatory communications are ordinarily specific and verifiable, with relevant details provided when a product or particular batch is found to be substandard, falsified, adulterated or otherwise unsafe.
NAFDAC urged members of the public to disregard the viral list and refrain from sharing or amplifying the unverified information.
The agency stressed that a product could not responsibly be declared fake or unsafe merely because its name or photograph appeared on a social media list.
It advised Nigerians, healthcare professionals, manufacturers, distributors and other stakeholders to rely on NAFDAC’s official communication channels for information concerning product alerts, recalls, withdrawals, suspensions and other regulatory actions.
NAFDAC also encouraged members of the public to continue reporting suspected counterfeit, adulterated or substandard products, noting that such allegations must undergo proper investigation and scientific verification before definitive conclusions are reached.
